The present invention is directed to an apparatus for protecting the external body of an automobile and more specifically, to a new and novel automobile body protection apparatus for protecting the external body of an automobile from minor dents, scratches, and the like caused by the impingement of objects such as doors from adjacent vehicles, shopping carts, and the like.
Automobiles, are often subject to being damaged when they are parked in close proximity to each other. Such damage typically takes the form of scratches, dents, chipped paint, abrasions, and related damage to the surface finish of the automobile's external body. Such damage frequently occurs when the door of an adjacent automobile is carelessly opened with sufficient force and comes in contact with an adjacent automobile. Such contact often results in the edge of the opened door chipping or otherwise marring the surface finish or even causing a dent in the body of the struck automobile. In addition, automobiles are also frequently parked in areas near shopping centers where metal shopping carts are used. Such carts are often carelessly pushed into contact with a parked automobile or are discarded in the parking areas where they may roll into contact with an automobile. Such contact with the metal shopping cart may also cause damage to the surface finish of the struck automobile. The cost to repair the surface finish of an automobile caused by such impacts can be costly and inconvenient and may diminish its value.
In order to reduce or eliminate such damage, manufactures have equipped automobiles with permanent molding strips that extend along the sides of an automobile in an effort to block doors, shopping carts, or the like from contacting the body of the automobile. Unfortunately, such strips are often of an inadequate width or thickness, or are positioned at a height for appearance purposes and may thereby limit the strips functionality.
Various devices have also been developed for attaching to and providing protection to an automobile. Many of the devices are however, relatively expensive to manufacture, difficult to install, or are not of adequate thickness to resist heavy impacts. Many such devices also do not easily adjust to the various surface configurations or body styling of automobiles. Further, during periods of rain, many such devices accumulate water across their top surface causing the device to sag out of position thereby reducing their effectiveness in providing protection to the automobile body.
Accordingly, a need exist for a new and novel automobile body protection apparatus, that can be easily installed along the body of an automobile, is relatively inexpensive to manufacture, is of adequate thickness to resist heavy impacts, easily adjusts to a variety of body configurations or styling, prevents or reduces the accumulation of water that can cause a device to sag out of position, and can be easily stored during periods of nonuse.